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HEC Paris MBA plays top marketing role in NFL

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After earning an MBA, Sunny Mefta was involved in the international marketing of the NFL (National Football League), starting a breakthrough international career.

Sunny, a child of parents of immigrants from India, grew up in El Paso, Texas. His first love was football. After starting his career in the field of politics, he decided to turn his childhood passion into his own job.

Sunny’s new career in football began with a series of side hustle. While continuing his political activities, he built his profile in his sport and jumped out into the tournament to work as a driver for the NFL player.

However, entering the industry was a challenge. “I was applying for a job in the sports industry as a whole, but I had no traction at all,” he says.

Sunny has decided to enroll in the HEC Paris MBA to boost her resume and gain a global perspective on her business. A year after his graduation, he now plays the dream role of marketing the NFL internationally.


Why MBA?

When Sunny got his bachelor’s degree in political science, he had one thing in mind. It’s educational reform.

After graduating, he taught elementary school at Ameri Corps, a local outreach institution, and then played various roles in politics. But his career track wasn’t “I didn’t enjoy the world of politics at all,” he explains.

Sunny realized that the political machine was too big to really influence and decided to pursue football as a career.

His main ambition was to support the development of the NFL’s international brand. The league has about 190 million fans in the United States, while Brazil, the second largest donor, has about 63 million.

With a background in politics and communication, he found the MBA to help him enter the highly competitive industry. Studying abroad will also give his resume the international advantage he needs.

After encountering HEC Paris, France’s top-ranked business school, Sunny felt right for her. He was able to live in Paris while studying. The program also offered a double degree at the Yale School of Management.

“I have gained international qualifications and a global outlook, have a top European MBA brand in my resume, and have been able to attend an elite American institution that has an impact on the American sports world,” he said. say.


HEC Paris MBA

Choosing a double degree means that Sunny spent three semesters at HEC Paris and another two semesters at Yale University.

All HEC Paris MBA students begin with a core period and learn the basics of business such as financial accounting, business economics, business analysis, operations management and communication.

Students can later choose from a variety of disciplines that offer courses in subjects such as advanced management, digital innovation, and entrepreneurship. Sunny focused her electives on management in preparation for leading the team.

“The curriculum was great and some of the professors weren’t out of this world,” he says.

HEC Paris also offers a variety of opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience during business simulators, company visits, and coursework. The school takes advantage of the cohort’s overwhelming international background (93% of students are international) to place students in small working groups of people of different nationalities and industries.

“The diversity of classmates, disagreements, and collaboration with different types of people were highlights,” explains Sunny. “The other was the global way of thinking you get.”

HEC Paris has given Sunny the opportunity to adjust his experience towards his goal of reaching the NFL. While earning his degree, Sunny launched a nine-month selective research project, the MBA Project, which was able to reduce Gen Z viewers’ interest in sports.

The study, along with London content creators, aimed to diversify NFL content coverage in collaboration with PhD students and professors. The league realized his job and offered him a partnership agreement that would lead to a post-graduation job offer.

“I’m really grateful that this program gives me the resources to learn exactly what I need to learn and the flexibility to reach my goals on a non-traditional route,” Sunny said. say.


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MBA for Marketing in the NFL

A year after his role in the NFL’s international marketing strategy and fan development, Sunny is doing exactly what he was trying to do: expanding the scope of the league.

His work involves directing marketing strategies across emerging markets such as France and China, while coordinating teams across the NFL’s major non-US markets such as Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Wide remittances mean that his focus changes daily. One day he may be working on a YouTube series or video game targeting Brazil. The next day, he is planning an international NFL match in the UK or Germany.

“Every day is quite different, not only in terms of functionality, but also where my head is in the world,” he explains. “For me, all kinds are ideal.”

Violent fluctuations require Sunny to be proficient in time management and organization. His dual role in strategy and coordination also leverages many of the skills acquired at the MBA.

“It definitely needs to have strategic thinking,” he says, “and those management accounting classes are also very useful.”

Responsible for such a wide range of areas can be difficult, but working in football makes it all worth it, Sunny explains. “After all, the high stress surrounding every problem still revolves around what I like in the world.”

His career has changed course in the past, but Sunny feels unlikely to change his career in the future.

“I want people to see what I see when I keep growing this sport and say it’s the best sport in the world,” he says.

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